Cataclysm's Fringe
by RoosterHelmet
Summary: A quartet of teenage newbies are assigned to Moga Village and near-instantly assigned to hunt some of the most dangerous monsters known to man. The hunters must overcome their flaws and differences and work together in a world edging closer and closer to calamity as guilds clash and draw up alliances against each other. Rated M for tons of profanity and violence.
1. Chapter 1: Fishing Trip

**Before the story, I'd like to thank my friends in the Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate group on Facebook for contributing ideas to this fanfiction. Thank you to ****Michael Burley, ****Travis Horner, ****Jarrod Marma, ****Noe Godinez Moreno, ****Marc Rodriguez, ****Thomas Dvorak, ****Mark LaRose, ****Jaron Wilkinson, ****Anthony Aburame Parker, ****Marco Antonio Michel Cretin, ****Taimur Rehan, ****Moy G Chavez, ****Dante Gamerwolf, ****Jesse Weber, ****Elijah Kawika Sellars, ****Kevin Salinas, and ****Sethmon NSo Harrison. I****t wouldn't have been nearly this good without your guys' help!**

The sun rose in the pale sky above Moga Village as morning crickets chirped. Fishermen mended their nets as they prepared for the day of work ahead of them. A layer of fog blanketed the coastline, obscuring the ship sailing towards the settlement.

The Argosy was a huge and powerful, yet elegant ship. Its blue sails flapped gently in the calm winds. A Felyne slid down the cordage and approached the captain, a Tanzian man in blue robes.

"Captain!" said Neko (which means "cat"), jumping up onto a stool to be at eye level with him. "Captain, we'll be approaching shore soon, nya!"

The Captain smiled and turned to look at Neko, the hilt of the sword on his back glinting in the sun. "Good, good! And where are the hunters?"

"Below deck, Captain." He crossed his arms and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness they're leaving soon, nya! They're beginning to stress meow't."

He grimaced. "Me too. But go inform them that we are almost ready to disembark."

"Yes, sir!" Neko saluted his captain and hopped off his stool, scampering below deck.

Four young hunters sat around a table below deck, lost in conversation and drinking water to beat down the sweating caused by their leather armor.

The first was Judoc, a boy from a particularly affluent part of Dondruma Town. His hair was short and neatly combed, colored seafoam green. His figure was skinny, and not particularly muscular.

The second was Thalassa, who had no memories of her parents. She was raised by traders in Port Tanzia, learning the ins and outs of life in a seafaring town. Her hair was short and black, falling just below her ears. She had a flat, bony figure and stood taller than the others. Her grey eyes darted constantly around her surroundings as if she expected something to jump out at her.

Next was Margo, with dark red hair reaching her shoulders. She was more muscular than both Judoc and Thalassa, but was far from looking like a powerhouse. Her speech was peppered with the accent of the ice floe fishers of the far north, where she'd grown up. She sweated more heavily than the others.

Lastly, Nojus. Nojus was built sturdy, with long, silver bangs and a grim face. He was no stranger to poverty, hailing from the slums of Dondruma, living in the ruins of a part of town long since destroyed by Elder Dragons.

"I'm telling you," said Judoc, "my instructor actually said that to me. He actually told me he saw a Kelbi breathe fire!"

"What a joke," laughed Thalassa. "They should pay _us_ to go through training."

"It was the hardest 500 zenny I've ever paid."

Margo leaned forward on the table. "I knew a guy who was out hunting Kelbis, yeah? Well, one charged him and instead of shooting it, what does he do? He goes and punches it in the fucking face!"

"Are you serious?" Thalassa asked amidst her laughter.

"Yeah, he was kinda stupid, if that helps."

Nojus, who sat slouched in his chair, said, "I'd love to see someone just sock a fucking Brute Wyvern right in the snout."

"Be my guest," said Margo.

"Do I really look like someone whose business it is getting that close to monsters?" he asked.

"If you had some balls you would," Thalassa teased.

"I'm sorry, but have you ever smelled a monster's breath? Yeah, no thank you. I'm fine being as far away from them as possible."

Someone knocked on the doorframe. Everyone stopped talking and turned their heads to see Neko standing in the doorway, his hands on his hips.

"Everyone, we'll be docking soon, nya!"

"How soon?" Judoc asked.

"Just a few meownutes. I suggest you get your equipment!"

"Thank you, Neko," said Nojus.

"You're welcome, nya!"

Moga Village was hardly a village. With a population of just barely fifty living on floating planks in small, round huts, the little fishing port sat on the largest island of a deserted archipelago. Were it not for the Hunters' Guild's presence and its rich resources, Moga Village would be completely insignificant; just another dot on the maps of weary sailors. But instead, it thrived, thanks in no small part to the Argosy's regular visits.

As Neko, joined by other Felynes of different shades of white and brown and grey, unloaded barrels of exotic goods, the four hunters disembarked, stepping onto the gently drifting planks that made up the base of Moga Village.

It wasn't long before an old man approached them. His skin had a dark tan from years of life in the sun, contrasting with his almost ghostly white hair. His frame was skinny, as if he'd once been more muscular than any of the hunters standing in front of him.

"Mornin'!" He said.

"Good morning," answered the hunters in one way or another.

He twiddled his pipe between his fingers and looked up at the Captain. "These are the hunters, right?"

"Yes." The captain dipped his head. "All three were trained in the hunters' academy in Dondruma, except for the red-headed girl. She hails from _ongoku_. Distant land." He chuckled. "Much like myself."

"I'm from the north, to be more specific," she said.

"Ah, sure must be hotter here than up there, huh?" Every word the old man spoke was vibrant, spoken in the voice of someone who'd been alive for decades, but they were alive enough to be coming from a young adult.

"I'm just used to sweating all the time," she said, running a hand through her hair and under her leather headgear.

"Well, I sure hope you'll get used to it! I'm the elder 'round here, it's a pleasure to be makin' yer acquaintance."

"I'm Margo," she replied, shaking his hand.

The others introduced themselves shortly before a much younger and taller man stepped up to the old man's side. He wore an open purple jacket and a necklace of jagged teeth around his neck. "Hey, pops."

"Oh! There ya are, Junior! I've been meanin' to find you. This is Judoc, Margo, Thalassa, and Nojus. Everyone, this is my pride and joy, Junior!"

"D-don't call me that," Junior said. "I... wait. Are _these_ the hunters?"

"Mhm," said his father.

"The guildies?"

"Yep."

"The ones who're going to solve our earthquake problem?"

"That would be us," Judoc said. He didn't feel confident in the words he spoke. Whatever was big enough to cause earthquakes certainly didn't sound like something he wanted to be involved with.

"Pops, we can't send them out on hunts! They're just kids!"

"We're seventeen, actually," Nojus said.

Junior looked down to his father and raised his eyebrows.

"Now, Junior," the Elder said, "everyone's a rookie at some point. Hell, even yer old man started out fishin' fer Goldenfish, and I was only sixteen."

"Yeah, but you're kind of a living legend. These guys are…" He bit his tongue.

"Thanks," Margo said.

"Okay, l—that's not what I meant." Junior sighed. "What I _meant_ was, you guys chose an awful time to become hunters. There's all kinds of—"

Several villagers gasped, and those that didn't fell quiet. Judoc turned his gaze to the sky. A huge, red wyvern flew high over the village with black-tipped wings, its spiky tail trailing behind it. Everyone watched in anxious silence as it passed over the village and left for the open ocean.

"W-what the hell was that?" Thalassa asked.

"Hm. A Rathalos? These damn eyes ain't as good as they used to be," the Elder said.

"A Rathalos," Junior confirmed. "Looks like it's just island hopping. I don't think it's got a mate. Not here."

The Elder sighed. "Well, let's go finish this talk back in my hut."

"Not me, pops. I'm going for a swim. Maybe I'll bring back a few fish."

"Sounds good to me. Come back in one piece!" he joked.

The Village Elder's hut was larger than the others, with a thatched roof and walls made of thick branches with wide windows. Judoc took a seat on a cushion on the floor around a low table. The Elder sat across from him, with Nojus to his left and Margo to his right, and Thalassa next to her.

"Now, how much experience do we all have?"

Everyone in the group exchanged nervous glances.

"Uhh, none," Thalassa said.

"None," parroted Nojus and Judoc.

"Nothing beyond the training we had in Dondruma," Margo said. "And I saw that Rathalos back there, if that counts."

The Elder sighed. "Do ya at least have weapons?" His disappointed tone admitted he already knew the answer.

"No, sir," Nojus said, embarrassed, "we do not."

"Do yeh have any idea what yer good with?"

"I know I want a bowgun," Nojus replied. "I'm no good with blades.

"What about the rest of yah?"

They shrugged.

"Alright. Well, stop by the weapons shop before you go!"

"Go where, exactly?" Judoc asked.

"Oh, right! I'm ahead of myself!" The Elder held his pipe to his lips and blew smoke before going on. "I want the four of ya's to head to the beach on the other side of the island and meet up with Junior. It oughta familiarize ya with our dear ol' island. Err, who's in charge here?"

The hunters looked at each other. "Uhh, no one, I guess," Thalassa said. "But I'd be _more_ than willing to—"

"Nojus is in charge," the Elder said.

Nojus nodded his head. "It's an honor."

Thalassa held up a finger. "But I just—"

"Now git on yer way, all of ya! Don't wanna leave Junior to fish all by his lonesome now, do ya?"

The hunters got up and left, heading up a flight of stairs to a shack where a woman sat fast asleep, her head nestled in her arms on the counter.

"Hey," Margo said. She poked the woman's arm. "Come on… Wake up…" She threw her arms up in annoyance. "She's fucking dead."

"H-huh?" The girl's eyes fluttered open and she blinked them lazily. "M-monster hun… hunters?"

"Yeah," Nojus said slowly, "we're here to get weapons. The village elder said you'd hook us up."

"He sent us on an errand," Margo added. "I think we're going fishing."

"How much zenny do you have?" she yawned, stretching her arms towards the sky.

"Well, we have, eh… none," Judoc answered. "But we're here to stop the earthquakes, if that helps anything."

"Oh! You should've said something!" The clerk pulled the curtain on the side of her shop open. "Come on, let's look in the back and see if we can't get you guys some weapons!"

The back of the shack was dark, illuminated dimly by light filtering through where the roof and walls met. Weapons were piled up and littered all across the floor.

"Well, go ahead and browse!" the clerk said. "Anything's fair game."

Judoc was overwhelmed by the choices before him. He could go with a lance or a katana or a bagpipe, he really wasn't sure. He was afraid he'd make the wrong choice and end up regretting it.

Nojus immediately went for the huge bowgun lying in the corner. "Alright!" he said, hefting the gun into his arms. "Here we go!"

"That's a standard model Bone Blaster Heavy Bowgun," the clerk said. "It's all-around average. A good choice, in this girl's opinion."

"Well, I think we agree on that," he said. "I'll take it!"

"You'll want the ammo bandolier, too." She took a bandolier off a rack against the wall and draped it over Nojus's shoulder, its bullets glinting in the filtered light.

"I like these," Thalassa announced, holding a sword and shield up.

"Me too," the clerk said. "That sword's fast, and the shield can protect you from all kinds of stuff."

"Awesome, I'll take them."

While Judoc surveyed his choices, the weapons clerk walked up behind him, making him jump when she grabbed his shoulder. "Having trouble deciding?"

"You could say that," he answered.

"Hm." She looked up and down him. "You're kind of a light guy. I can't see you lancing or hammering…" She crouched and dug into a pile of bladed weapons, stopping only to shout "Dammit!" when she cut her finger by accident.

"Aha!" she exclaimed eventually, holding a set of blades up and presenting them to Judoc. "Matched Slicers. They're fast and light, just like you."

"Uhh, thank you," Judoc said, taking the weapons from her.

"Hey," Margo said, "What's this thing?"

"What's what?"

She held up a weapon folded in a rectangular shape with blades protruding from opposite corners on the top and bottom, one iron and one bone.

"Oh, that? I dunno, that's something the Wyverian Artisan and I worked on. You know, he's the town blacksmith, so he helped put it together. We call it a Switch Axe. It's stupidly hard to use, though."

"How does it—_layno_!" She slipped into her native language to curse as part of the weapon swung outward and the blades slid to the end of it, forming a huge, two-handed axe. She panted, looking up at the clerk.

"Sorry—"

"That is so fucking cool," Margo interrupted, admiring the weapon.

"It's a lot cooler than that," said the outfitter. "There's a little switch under the rear blade. Try flicking it."

Margo hit the switch. The front bone blade slid down as a sort of protection over her hand as the back one flipped over the top of the shaft, protruding outwards, together forming a sword. The sound of energy humming permeated the room.

"That form's a lot faster, but it uses up the demon energy stored in the phial there in the shaft. You'll hafta reset it every once in a while. I mean, that's if you actually wanna use that thing…"

"Of course!" Margo said, grinning widely. "I'd hate myself if I _didn't_."

"Well, feel free." The outfitter put her hands on her hips and looked over everyone. "So, everyone's squared away!"

"That's right," Nojus said. "I think we're ready to get going."

"I won't slow you down. Good luck on whatever errand the Elder sent you on!"

Moga Woods was a noisy place. Bugs droned, birds tweeted incessantly, and the river running through it trickled loudly. Judoc had a hard time taking in so many different sights at once, from the leafy treetops glowing from the backlight of the sun to the bulky Aptonoth drinking from the stream, his senses were overwhelmed. The blades on his back made him nervous. He didn't like the idea of such sharp objects being so close to his neck.

"Alright!" Nojus said once they arrived at a wide, plain-like clearing where the stream ran shallow. "Does anyone need to stop for a sec?"

Margo walked to the stream and splashed water in her face. "Ugh, it's so fucking hot here!"

Nojus turned to face Judoc, swinging the barrel of his bowgun past Thalassa.

"Be careful where you point that thing!" she said, jerking herself backwards. "I don't wanna get shot."

He turned his attention from Judoc to Thalassa, pointing a finger at her and taking a few steps towards her. "I know what I'm doing. I practiced firing these things back in Minegarde. Do _you_ know what _you're_ doing?"

"No, all I did was sit around and stare at the wall in the academy," Thalassa snarked. She rolled her eyes. "Of course I know what I'm doing."

Nojus opened his mouth and lifted a finger before sighing, arm falling to his side. "Well, that's… good to hear." He looked over to the bank of the creek. "Margo!" he called.

"Huh?" She looked over her shoulder.

"Let's get going!" He motioned for her to return to the group.

"I'll be there in a sec!"

Nojus and Thalassa got a head start, turning and walking slowly downstream.

"Coming, Judoc?" Nojus asked.

"Y-yeah," he replied. "I was going to wait for Margo."

"No need," Margo said, approaching them. "Let's go!"

Judoc followed Nojus downstream, eventually reaching a shallow pool of water fed by both the stream and a waterfall further down. A group of large, yellow insects, Altaroths, marched in a straight line towards a patch of mushrooms. Judoc watched as they sucked the moisture out of the fungi, swelling their abdomens into bright blue bulbs. One of them noticed him and let out a shrill screeching noise. He quickly looked away and started walking faster.

The stream finally gave way to the ocean, trickling over a rocky, U-shaped beach. Junior was nowhere to be found.

"He's gotta be around here somewhere, just look around," Nojus ordered. "And like they said at the academy, always watch your back."

"I've never been to the beach," Judoc said, walking along the shoreline.

"The beaches up in the north are really shitty," Margo said. "They're all buried under ice, and Giadromes like to patrol them for dead stuff that washes up on the shore."

"Giadromes?"

"They're like, giant nasty lizards that like to puke ice on people and eat them."

"Oh…" Judoc nodded and looked out over the horizon.

Thalassa paid most of her attention to the water. Growing up in the bustling Tanzia Port gave her an appreciation for the sparkling blue depths. It'd been so long since she last felt the saltwater washing over her feet. She slipped her boots off, setting them on the shore and dipping her feet in the sea, watching the serpentine Epioths splash around several yards out.

The Epioths scattered at the arrival of a long, dark shape under the waves. Thalassa didn't worry about it—not until it started approaching the shore. She backed up slowly, reaching behind her back and grasping around for the hilt of her sword.

"G-guys," Thalassa said, "There's somethi—"

The seas burst. A huge, blue serpent arched out of the water, backed by a crashing wall of frothing seawater. Thalassa fell back in the sand as the other hunters ran for cover behind a large rock. The color drained from her already pale face as she stared into the beast's crocodilian maw, lined with huge, spear-like teeth dripping with saliva.

"Thalassa!" Nojus screamed, "Get the fuck over here!"

She turned, fumbling to her feet as she tried to move faster than the wet sand permitted. She started running for cover with the other three hunters. Nojus took aim at the monster, and with a loud crack, a bullet the size of a pebble shot from the barrel. The shot hissed just barely past Thalassa's face and she twisted around to see what had nearly hit her. She tripped and fell into the sand, screaming.

"Fuck!" Nojus fell behind the rock to reload. "I scared the shit out of her!"

Thalassa climbed back to her feet and dashed through the sand as fast as she could. She made it behind the rock where the other hunters hid and collapsed to her knees, gasping and choking for breath. It wasn't long before she was lurching, vomiting into the sand.

"A-are you okay?!" Judoc asked, gripping her shoulder.

"I—I I" she spat the last of the vomit into the sand and choked, "I have to get out of here!" Her frame shook and her head felt light. The sand seemed to undulate beneath her.

"You're afraid?!" Margo shouted. She pulled her up by her shoulders. "You're a _fucking monster hunter and you're afraid of fucking monsters_?!"

"This isn't the time for that!" Judoc spat. The beast came up out of the water, its body long and thin, covered in blue scales like plate mail. Its tail was skinny like whip-like, waving behind it as ran, snaking its figure to pursue them on sprawled legs. "We need to focus on getting her the hell out of here! There's no way we can take this thing!"

"We need to get us all out of here!" Nojus said. He fired another shot into the sand, keeping the monster at bay for just a fleeting moment.

"Eveybody just run!" Margo shouted. "Just get the hell out of here. It seemed a lot slower than Thalassa!"

"Can you run?" Judoc asked.

Thalassa shook her head. "I don't—don't know."

"Well, can you _try_?" Nojus interrupted. He returned his focus to the beast. "You all go. I'll hold it off until you do!"

Margo left first, not bothering to look back as she fled. Judoc helped the shivering Thalassa to her feet. She was shaky and off-balance at first, but soon gathered herself and ran off with him. Nojus folded his Bowgun and hitched it to his back, the leviathan letting out a fearsome roar as he fled.


	2. Chapter 2: Guildies

Upon arriving back at the village, Judoc and the others found the Village Elder in the middle of a conversation with Junior.

Junior looked over his shoulder and saw the group of shaken hunters. "Oh! There you are." He turned and looked over the crew, crossing his arms with a smirk. "You guys look like you've seen a ghost." He pointed at Thalassa whose face was still pale, "And _you_ look like the ghost."

"'There you are'?" Nojus fumed, "We were looking for _you_ when some giant blue fuckmonster jumped out of the ocean and tried to eat Thalassa. She almost fucking died!"

"Also, you almost shot her in the face," Judoc said dully.

"Judoc, this is _not_ the time for that," he murmured.

"Hold on," Junior said. "Stop talking. You're making it hard for me to organize my thoughts, here." He rubbed his temple for a moment. "Pops..." His face became bleak. "Do you think they saw—"

"Lagiacrus," finished the Village Elder, his voice devoid of the cheerfulness typical of him.

"Does it look like grim watery demise?" Judoc asked. "Because that's what we saw."

"It's… probably the creature to blame for the earthquake situation."

"It was a little _small_ to be causing earthquakes," Margo said.

"_Small_?!" Thalassa asked.

"I suppose," Junior said. "We're just theorizing at this point. It's the biggest monster we've seen around here, at least."

Thalassa shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Alright, look, I think we're off-base here. The point is, I almost _died_."

"That's the thing about monster hunting," Junior said. "You almost die a lot."

"We could've at least had a warning or something."

"Well, we weren't—"

"She makes a fair point, Junior," the Elder said. "I probably shoulda' warned ya' about our scaly friend."

"Yeah, probably," Margo affirmed.

"Ah!" Junior snapped his finger. "Before I forget, I need you to talk to someone."

"Who?"

"Can't we just take a nap?" Judoc asked. "It's been a busy enough day."

"Your registration with Moga Village is confirmed," said Junior. "They're ready for you to start taking on quests."

"Show us the way," Thalassa said. "It's about time we got to meet someone from the Guild!"

Judoc raised an eyebrow. "You're already prepared to get killed again?"

"No, no," the Village Elder laughed. "She's got the right attitude! Hell, she reminds me of myself back in my prime."

Junior led the hunters to the other side of the village, where a kiosk sat near the docks. A girl in a red and white dress sat with a cheery smile behind the counter with a stack of papers. Her face was tan, spending most of the day in the tropical sun.

"Good morning!" she said, voice filled with artificial formality.

"Morning, Annie," said Junior. "Everyone, this is Annie, the local Guild Sweetheart. You'll be talking to her about any officially-sponsored quests."

"Hey, guys." She pushed the papers forward and Judoc grabbed them. "Just make sure you match the people on those papers and you'll be good to go!"

"Here," Nojus said, "Let me see those."

Judoc sighed and handed the papers to him.

"Mhm…" He scratched his nonexistent beard, evoking an eye roll from Margo.

"Let me see," Thalassa said.

"No, it's fine. I can read." He nudged her aside and finished reading. "Everything's in order."

"Awesome! Welcome to the Moga Regional Guild!" Annie took the forms out of his hands and put them under the counter. "Now, first things first, the International Guild Conglomerate has kind of been high alert lately. All sorts of stuff is going wrong all over the world, and everyone's trying to solve it. Do you guys know what that means for you?"

"What?" Margo asked.

"It means you're gonna be one _busy_ group of hunters." Annie stood up and reached over the counter for a poster on the bulletin board near the pier. "In fact…" She slapped the poster on the countertop and pushed it forward for the hunters to see, "… here's your first quest. You gotta capture a monster called an Arzuros."

"What's that?" Thalassa asked, edge in her voice.

"It's that goofy-looking thing," Margo said, pointing to the little caricature of a blue, bear-like creature in the corner of the paper.

"Just a sec." Annie ducked under the counter, soon heaving a huge book onto it. "Let's see…" She flipped the book open, muttering to herself as she searched through its pages. "Here! 'Arzuros: A Fanged Beast with an insatiable desire for honey. Usually placid, but will attack when threatened. Beware its claws and armored wrists.'"

"That sounds easy," Judoc said.

"How big are they?" asked Thalassa.

"Definitely smaller than the Lagiacrus," Annie replied, "so don't worry."

Thalassa sighed in relief.

"So, nothing you guys can't handle, right?" Junior said.

"I think we can do it," said Nojus.

"Good!" Annie chimed. "Be up bright and early tomorrow ready to hunt!"

"Will do."

"Let me show you guys to where you'll be living during your time in Moga," Junior said.

The Village Elder had prepared a large hut, almost as big as his own, for the hunters. Four beds sat along the walls, each with a desk and large chest next to it. Part of the wall was left unfinished, giving a window through which the ocean could be seen.

The hunters, exhausted from their outing earlier, settled in for bed shortly after sunset. Thalassa lay awake, staring up at the moon, which cast pale-blue light on their room. Her mind raced with questions and took the rest of her with it. Was she in any way prepared for a life of hunting monsters? What did the others think of her after today? She was embarrassed by herself, getting scared and throwing up like that. She probably pushed herself to the bottom rung. She was sure Nojus—

"Thalassa!" whispered Judoc harshly.

"Yeah?" she whispered back.

Judoc swung his legs over the side of his bed and got up. He carefully walked across the room and sat on the side of hers. "Are you okay?"

Thalassa sat up. "I'm fine, I'm just—shaken. I don't know if I'm ready for this."

"Don't worry," Judoc said. "I was scared, too. We were all scared."

"Yeah, but you guys didn't humiliate yourselves like I did."

He shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Things could be worse. I mean, you could be dead."

"Well, I'm basically dead _weight_."

"I'm sure you'll do better tomorrow. We're hunting something a lot less dangerous. I talked to Annie about it. She said Lagiacrus are at the top of the food chain. It's something only the upper echelons of hunters are supposed to take on. I think your reaction was normal."

"Thanks," Thalassa sighed, nodding to herself. "It… it means a lot that you'd come over and say that to me."

"And don't worry about sucking up to Nojus. He's not really the leader."

"Then who is?"

"No one." "We're all equal, the way I see it. He's just uppity because he thinks he's more experienced than us. And maybe he's right, but that doesn't make him any less of an asshole."

She hugged her knees and looked out at the glistening water. "You know the most embarrassing part about all this?"

"What?" Judoc felt he was too close to Thalassa, and inched away from her foot.

"I… I wanna be a chairwoman of the Guild one day."

He couldn't help but laugh to himself. "Well, you're going to have to keep at it."

Thalassa's lips just barely cracked a smile. "It's just such an embarrassing first impression to make, you know? I kind of wanted to seem like I knew what I was doing."

"Oh, whatever, don't worry about that. None of us know what we're doing."

"I guess..." Thalassa gazed down into her lap.

"I hear you have to have a Hunter Rank in the triple digits to even be eligible for chairperson."

"Well, hopefully I'll get there one day."

Judoc looked up at the moon, losing himself in the silvery craters and valleys of its surface. "Hopefully, we all will."


End file.
